Paul George Rumors: Wizards Looking to Make Trade for Pacers Star

The Washington Wizards reportedly have their eyes on Indiana Pacers star Paul George.

On Monday, David Aldridge of NBA.com reported "the Wizards are looking for a way to make a George deal happen," although he noted they will not trade Bradley Beal because part of the appeal of Washington for George would be playing alongside him and John Wall.

Aldridge noted Otto Porter could be a trade chip in a potential deal but explained the small forward would "lose tens of millions of dollars" in a sign-and-trade under the new CBA.

This comes after Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reported Sunday that George told the Pacers he plans on leaving in the summer of 2018 and prefers to play for his hometown Los Angeles Lakers. The desire to play in Los Angeles makes trading for George all the more risky from Washington's perspective because he could simply leave after a season.

However, a trio of George, Wall and Beal would put the Wizards firmly on the short list of NBA title contenders next season. They just reached the second round of the NBA playoffs without George and battled the Eastern Conference No. 1-seeded Boston Celtics in a seven-game thriller.

George would provide Washington another go-to option when opposing defenses focus on the Wall and Beal backcourt, and he could also guard some of the league's best players—such as LeBron James—in a playoff series as a three-time member of an All-Defensive team.

Even if George ultimately opted out of his contract and left, his presence would help the Wizards close the gap with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East for the 2017-18 campaign.